Here’s how you can make the GroupWorks platform work — and work better! — for your activity group:

Let your members in on a private secret (that shouldn’t be a secret).

GroupWorks isn’t just a free-to-use club-management tool; it’s a for-your-members’-eyes-only tool. Make sure your members know they can share photos of your weekend group hike or of last month’s luau-themed book-club meeting without fear of the shots going viral.

“The private platform allows people to interact more easily,” says Spencer Morgan, GroupWorks founder and chief community officer. “With very little work you can really get a group comfortable sharing.”

Get the conversation going — and going!

Because GroupWorks allows your club to carve out its own private digital space, you can communicate with your members informally. This means you don’t have to limit posts to the dry, time-date-and-place facts; you can share past experiences — and maybe even generate a conversation between you and your members.

“If you can encourage a more casual and inviting tone, that’s helpful,” Morgan says.

Use group email to mobilize the group.

Follow up. When you see activity hitting a lull on the platform, group leaders — and members — have the ability to step up your reach-out game.

“If they’re not responding to a post, then use the GroupWorks group email to say, ‘Let’s get the conversation started,’” Morgan says.

And don’t worry about those group emails going unread as spam.

“We always had a hard time sending emails to members because we ran into spam-screening programs,” says Richard Spitzer of the Arizona-based SaddleBrooke SkyGazers Astronomy Club, which now uses the GroupWorks platform. “It’s really valuable to send out an email and not having it go to people’s spam.”

Don’t just schedule events; generate momentum for them.

“A successful group is a group that has successful events,” Morgan says.

“If there are only two RSVPs for an event, then that’s when you know you need to do more prodding,” Morgan says.

It’s possible your members just need a nudge to RSVP. It’s also possible your club needs a nudge in a new direction.

“With GroupWorks, you can get feedback on what kind of events to offer,” Morgan says.

Dive deep with your sub(groups)

“I’ve seen groups have their planning committees set up subgroups with the tool,” Morgan says. “So, now, these committees have their own private GroupWorks channel within the group to communicate with each other.”

If it seems we’re back to the importance of communication and sharing, that’s because, no matter the platform, communication and sharing is the lifeblood of activity groups.